Avon council approves lifecycle pavement modeling to guide road-budget choices

Avon Town Council on Jan. 23 approved a contract to build a pavement life-cycle model intended to project road deterioration and help size annual maintenance and preservation spending.

Town staff said the model will use historical pavement-condition data dating to the town’s 1999 takeover of local roads, create deterioration curves and run “what-if” scenarios showing how different treatments and funding levels affect future road condition. The project includes a larger upfront fee to develop the model and a subscription for annual software access.

"It will take our existing data back to 1999 ... and it will project it forward," Ryan, a town staff member, told the council. Steve, another staff member involved in pavement work, said the model lets staff compare the annualized cost of different maintenance strategies and run scenarios such as structural overlays versus thin overlays.

Council members pressed for details on vendor references and timeline. Staff said the vendor is based in North Carolina, has national experience and that Avon may be among the first Indiana communities to adopt this specific modeling service. The vendor estimated model delivery in four to six weeks, but staff warned that time could lengthen if the town needs to update pavement ratings first.

Questions also addressed cost and budget placement. Staff said the contracted amount in the packet used 2025 rates and that the $17,072 figure listed in discussion covered an 11-month subscription in the first year (the vendor does not expect the model to be complete in month one). Staff told the council the budget includes $29,000 in a miscellaneous line for the project.

A council member moved to accept the lifecycle model agreement as presented; another member seconded. The council approved the item by roll call.